Automatic control device for elevators.



Patented Aug. 3-1. 1909.

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INVEN TOR I IIVITNESSES L. J. MILKE. V V

AUTOIATIO CONTROL DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS.

PPLIOATIOH FILED AUG. H. 1908.

932,714. I Patented Aug. 31. 1909.

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J- ITED STATES PATENT onnion.

tours J. mayor Bummer, mum.

AUTOMATIC CONTROL DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS.

Specification of mm Patent. Patented Aug. 31, 1909 Application filed August 11, 1908. Serial No. 47,926. v

To alt whom it my concerns Be it knownthat I, LOUIS J MILKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore city, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Control DEV a3 for Elevators,

of which the following is a specification.

"My invention relates to automatic control devices for elevators, and has for its object 'means by Which'the operation ofthe elevator is automatically controlled by the opening and closing of the elevator door.

The device has for its particular object to prevent the starting of the car, after it has been stopped at a particular landing, and the door openedwithout the door first havin been closed. The device being so constructe that after the car has been stopped at'a particular landing, and the door having been opened, itis impossible to again start the car withoutthe door first having been closed,

' thereby lessening to a degree, the possibility of accident to a passenger in the entering or leavrng the cur, occasioned bythe premature starting thereof, by preventlng the starting of the car until the passenger has full entered or passed out therefrom. A

Viith the foregoing ob ect m-v evv, my invention' consists 2n certainnovel features of construction and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and p-.uted out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the mechanism in, the position assumed when one of the doors to the .elevator shaftis opened. Fig. 2 is a similar view of a partof the mechanism shown in Fig. 1, drawn 'to an enlarged scale,

there being parts in section and parts broken away. The operative parts are in a position opposite to that shown'in' Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view of a part of Fig. 2 taken on the line 33. r

Like characters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several figures of drawings in which A indicates a tank of fluid under pressure, connecting this tank and the elevator piston (not shown) is the usual supply pipe 1, and in this line of pipe is interposed an ordlnary gate valve 2, the stem 3 of which is a continuation of the p15- ton rod of a piston 4 adapted to reciprocate within'a cylinder 5. Opening into the said cylinder 5 at either end thereof are ipes 6 and 7, said pipes serving, in oppose altera nation as feed and exhaust pipes through the medium of the four-way valve 8 into which one end of each of the pipes 6 and? are fitted. Also fitted to this valve casing.

8 is one branch of a supply pipe 9 in commu- 50 to some fixed part of the apparatus, and carrying on its outer end an armature 16 adapted-to be attracted by a magnetic coil 17,

when same is energized. Connected'to the piston rod 18 of a piston 19, fitted to a cylinder 20, is a lever 21, pivoted at 22, to some fixed support (not shown), and having a band 23 extending around a drum 24 and attached to the said lever at a point intermediate of its ends as indicated at 24', the

whole constituting what is commonly known as a; band brake. 24 is a pulley or rope 26, said rope being operatively connected to the hoisting mechanism of the elevator car, so that when the car is moved, the pulley 25- will be caused to rotate.

Connected to the cylinder 20 are two pipes 27 and 28 similar to the pipes 6 and 7, and similarly connected to a valve. 28' having a barrel 29 provided with ports 30 and 31. This valve receives a supply of fluid under pressure'through a pipe 32 and is also provided with an exhaust port 33. Fixed to Fixed 'to the stud drum. 25 over which passes a belt the stem of the valve barrel 29 is a lever 34 connected to a lever 35", similar to the lever 14- and under the action of the magnetic coil 36.

Fixed to each of the doors B opening to the elevator shaft, is a plug 37, adapted,

when the door is closed to engage the ter-v minals 38 of an electric circuit, thereby closing the circuit which is here diagrammatically shown. I

From a source of electrical energy here shown as a dynamo 39 through a conductor 40, through the coils 17 thence by the conductor 41, through the'coil 3G, through'the conductor 42, through the switch 43, located in the elevator ca'rC, thence over the conductor 44 consecutively through the ciri Quit breakers 37 back to the dynamo. In operation assume the doors to be all closed, in which case there will be no interruption to the current and the coils 17 and 36 will be energized. attracting the ends of the levers la; 35 respectively, and causing the valves to assume the'positions shown in Fig. whereupon the pressure will be exerted on the bottom of the piston 4 by reason of the port if: placing the supply pipe 9 into comnmnication with the pipe 7, thereby opening the ate valve 2 and allowing the hoist ng mechanism to be operated; at the same time the finid on itop of the piston 4 has lie-en exhausted through the pipe 6, ports 11 and 16' intp the atmosphere, or in case water used may be conveyed off through suitable piping.- Siniultaneons with this operation a similar one is occurring in the other valve. The magnet 36 having attracted the lever 35, which throws the ports in the valve stem 29 in a position reverse to those in the valve 8, thus allowing the pressure to come in on top of the piston 19 and by this means release the hand brake 23. V

l 'hen any one of the doors are opened the circuit is broken by reason of the plug 37 leaving the contacts 38, the magnets 17 and 36 are thus deenergized and the weights 45 on the ends of the levers 14 and 35 reverse the lev l3 and 34 to the positions as shown in Fig. 1, whereupon the reverse movement is imparted to the pistons and the gate valve 2 is closed and the brake applied to the pulley thereby preventing any possibility of the car being moved unintentionally or drifting as is often the case while the door is open.

The. switch 43 lo ated in the car B may be used by the operator for stopping the car should control he lost at any time, it being obvious that the operation will be the same as if the circuit was broken at any other point.

Slight changes and alterations might be resorted to in the form and arrangement of the several parts described without departing from the spirit'and scope of my invention,-hence I do not desire to limit myself {)0 the exact construction as herein set forth, nt-

Havi 1' g fully described my invention, wha 'I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A device of the character described, comprising a pair of cylinders, a pair of piston rods, pistons carried thereby, and reeiprocable within the cylinders, a pair of valves having a plurality of ports provided therein. means connecting the valves with the cylinders, a storage supply tank, means connecting the tank with the said valves, :1 main supply pipe, a gate valve interposed therein, the valve stem provided on the gac valve forming the piston rod withm one of the aforesaid cylinders, a lever pivot-ally supported and connected at one end with the other aforesaid piston rod, a rotatable drum,

of the said piston rods and interposed in the said supply pipe,'the said piston rod forming the valve stem of the said gate valve, a revoluble drum, a lover, a band extended around the drum and secured to the said lever intermediate of the ends thereof, said lever being connected with the other piston rod, a pair of valves having a plurality of ports'provided therein, .means connecting the valves with the said cylinders, a, supplytank, means connecting the tank with the said valves, and means for operating the said valves whereby one of the said pistons within one cylinder is made to ascend simultaneously with the descent. of the other piston in the other cylinder,substantially as described.

3. A device'cf the character described, comprising a pair of cylinders, a pair of piston rods, pistons carriedthereby and reeiprocable within the said cylinders, a supply pipe, a gate valve interposed therein, the valve stem of; which is formed on the free end of one of the said piston rods, a revoluble, drum, :1 band secured around the said drum, a lever connected intermediate of its ends with the said band, the lever being connected to the free end of the other piston rod, 21 pair of valves. having valve stems within the valves, and a plurality of ports provided therein, a supply pipe connecting therewith, pipes connecting the said valves with thesaid cylinders, evers connected with the said valve sterns, additional levers pivotally secured and connected with the first mentioned levers, and means for operating the said le'vers, thereby opening and closing the saidyalves, whereby one of the said pistons is made to ascend simultaneously with the descent of the other, substantially as described.

4. A device of the character described, comprising a pair of cylinders, a pair of piston rods. a piston carried by each piston rod diate of its ends with the'said band, said lever being connected with the other piston rd, a pair of valves having valve stems with within one of valves W cylinders,

aplurality of ports'provided therein, means connecting the valves with the said oylin ders, a supply pipe connected with the said valves, levers pivotally secured and connected with the aforesaid valve stems, armatures provided on the free ends of the said levers, magnetic coils, a source of electric currentsupply,

for deenergizlng 5. A device of the character described, coniprising a pair of valves, having a plurality-of ports provided therein, a. palr of.

cylinders, means connecting the valves with the. cylinders, piston rods secured within the cylinders, pistons carried thereby, and reciprocable ,ivithin the cylinders, astorage tank, means connecting the tank with the said valves, a main supply pipe, a gate valve described.

6. A device of the character described,

' comprising a pair of valves, having a plurality ot'jports provided therein, a pair of means connectlng the valves With piston rods secured within the the cylinders,

and recylinders, pistons carried thereby,

- ciprocable' within the cylinders, a storage therewith, means connecting pi pc connected a main supply the said tank suppl tank,

with the said valves, a gate valve interposed means comiecting the said coils with v the said source of supply, thereby energizing the said coils and means the said coils, substantially as described.

v said valves, a ro'iatahie drum,

' said le vcrs, 1ncans valve, substantially as described.

in the said'supply pipe. a rotatable drum, means connecting the said gate vahe and drum respectively with one 01' the piston rods in each respective cylinder, levers pro vided on the said valvcs. armatnres pro vided on the said lever ,magnetic coils, means energizing the said coils, whereby the said arinatures on the said levers are attracted thereto, thereby closing the said gate valve and simultaneously stopping the rotation of the said drlnn, substantially as described.

7; A device of the character described, coniprising a pair of valves, having a plurality of ports provided therein, a pair of cylinders, means uohnecting the \zrlivs. with the cylinders, piston rods secured within the cylinders, pistons carried thcrclly. and reciprocable within the cylinders, a .-=.or.-*.;=: sup ply tank, a supply pipe. connected iln-rcxvith, a gate valve interposed in the .-ui= l. supply pipe, pipes connectin the said ianl; with the means connect. ing the said gate valve and drum: respectively with one 'of the said each respective cylinder. lev'rs pr vithal on the said valves, arinatuics provirh-d on the said levers, magnetic coils, means c acting the said coils With a source of ole-:1 supply, vvherehy the said coils are encrthereby attract the said arinaturcs on the for deenergizing the said coils where y the said arnmtures are released from the said coils, whereby the said gate valve is closed and opened rc pmtively, thereby perinitting' tlwrotating and :;topping of the said drum simultaneou ly with the opening and closing of the said gate In testimony whereof I ailix my signature in presence of-tivo witnesses.

LOUIS J. MILKE.

\Yitnesses:

I. \VAL'rox BRE\\'IX('I HN, Mani M. hlAtfiL-V.

pistOlr rials in ed and 

